The NMBC is a true grassroots operation that will educate individual voters about the candidates and issues in their district and motivate them to take that knowledge to the polls and vote.

It is the voter who will affect the change we need because educated voters will elect the best candidates when they understand the issues. Reaching those voters is where the NMBC will make a distinct difference in political races.

Sandoval County Ordinance Resolution Needed

Commentary by Carla J. Sonntag, President and Founder, New Mexico Business Coalition

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. In the case of the Sandoval County oil and gas ordinance, we seem to be playing that game, but with new features that add to the craziness.

Oil and gas operations have been in the County since the 1950s. While the idea of an ordinance isn’t new, Commissioners can’t seem to reach a decision on how to handle it. At least five times now, the Commission has had ordinances in front of them and have been unable to act.

Why? Because irrational activists have drowned out the voice of reason on what constitutes a judicious and useful ordinance. Hysteria booming through the halls of the Sandoval County Government Building controlled the conversation. “Tribal consultation hasn’t happened!” (The County has no authority over tribal lands.) “The ordinance is being rammed through at the last minute!” (Sandoval County has considered an ordinance for two years.) “It will destroy our land and water!” (There has never been a documented case of contaminated water due to oil and gas operations in New Mexico.)

To address misinformation about the Right to Work (RTW) ordinance NMBC is supporting that recently passed in Sandoval and Otero County (and is under consideration in several other counties), consider these answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Will the RTW ordinance affect our teachers, firefighters or police?

No! They are completely unaffected.

The RTW ordinance only affects private sector employees covered by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), a federal law. No state, county, or municipal employees will be affected by the ordinance in any way.

In fact, hiring halls for construction trades, such as the carpenters or operating engineers, are unaffected. Many employers find the hiring hall arrangements allow them to screen and hire qualified employees, and they are not prohibited by right to work laws in states or counties.

Hands off permanent fund

Letter to the Editor, Albuquerque Journal, published on April 7, 2018. Written by JOE STEHLING of Angel Fire

I TRULY DO not understand why the activists who want to tap our permanent fund are willing to sacrifice the future of New Mexico to throw more money at early childhood education. They have no idea of the economics and long-term impact on drawing down the fund for unproven results.

Petition problems threaten some candidates; some candidates have already been disqualified to be on the ballot. The cut-off date for candidates to turn in their nominating petitions with the required number of valid signatures has come and gone. Besides the risk of not having enough legible, properly registered voter signatures on their petitions, several candidates are facing legal challenges (to have them disqualified) based on information printed on the petition itself.

People often ask if NMBC supports Job Training Incentive Program (JTIP). Quite honestly, JTIP has rarely been a good thing for New Mexico. While NMBC can support the concept of what was designed to provide on-the-job and classroom training that reimburses for 50 to 75 percent of wages for newly created jobs, it seems we just have not found an effective way to manage it. New Mexico is really good at giving away taxpayer dollars, but we often get nothing for it.